Woman's death, grandson's arrest shock friends, neighbors

Thursday

Feb 28, 2013 at 12:01 AMJan 16, 2014 at 9:24 PM

STOCKTON - Friends and neighbors expressed sadness, shock and confusion Wednesday, a day after a 76-year-old woman was found dead in a wheelbarrow in the backyard of her southeast Stockton home. Authorities said she was killed by her grandson.

Jason Anderson

STOCKTON - Friends and neighbors expressed sadness, shock and confusion Wednesday, a day after a 76-year-old woman was found dead in a wheelbarrow in the backyard of her southeast Stockton home. Authorities said she was killed by her grandson.

One of the men who discovered the body described what he saw in the woman's backyard Tuesday and detailed events that may have led to her death. The man said the victim, identified by authorities as Racheal Russell, was having increasing difficulty with her grandson, Jerome Deavila, a 39-year-old registered sex offender who spoke openly about his drug use. Deavila, who lived in his grandmother's home, was arrested on suspicion of homicide just hours after her body was found.

"She used to be able to control him - tell him, 'Get in the house and calm down,' " said the man, a neighbor who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared for his family's safety. "They got to the point where they weren't getting along because he was doing too much. Toward the end, she ended up taking his key from him, but at some point last weekend, she finally decided to let him back in."

Russell was last seen about 7 p.m. Friday, neighbors said. Later that night, Deavila came out of the house wearing diamond earrings and a diamond ring, said the man who spoke on condition of anonymity. A car belonging to Russell disappeared the next morning, and Deavila hasn't been seen at the house since, the man said.

"He had money, and he was showboating with the jewelry, like, 'Yeah, I got this and I got that,' " he said. "Then the car left Saturday morning and never came back."

One of Russell's longtime friends stood on the steps of a church down the street, sobbing as she shared memories of a woman she had known for 38 years.

"She was the best," Linda Bowen said. "She was very loving. She would give you the shirt off her back. She would feed you, clothe you, let you stay at her house - anything."

Bowen said she can't comprehend the tragedy, saying she used to change the diapers of the man accused of killing her friend.

"I'm numb. I'm just numb," she said. "I don't know how to feel."

Another woman at the church said Russell was a "sweet person" and a "very nice lady."

"Usually when we give out food, if she didn't come, I would take it to her," Rosalind Dacus said. "Sometimes we'd give her cans of fruit. She said, 'My arthritis is so bad, I can't open those cans,' so I said, 'OK, I'll come open them for you.' "

The man who spoke on condition of anonymity said Russell looked out for neighbors and maintained a second house on the street while the homeowner was away.

"She was a really good woman," he said. "She was your Neighborhood Watch lady. If something wasn't right, she would report it. The only thing she wanted was a little more peace and quiet."

Russell's body was discovered Tuesday afternoon after her son, 44-year-old Steve Russell, went to check on her, authorities and witnesses said. The neighbor who spoke on condition of anonymity said Steve Russell asked him and his brother to determine what was in the wheelbarrow after seeing something wrapped in linens.

"He said, 'I need you to do me a favor. I think my mom is back there in a wheelbarrow,' " the neighbor said. "He said, 'Please go check for me. If that's my momma, I can't see her like that.' "